


The Camelot Archives

by Inyw21



Category: Merlin (TV), The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: AU, F/M, How Do I Tag, It's nothing bad I promise, M/M, Merlin AU, Spoilers for The Magnus Archives Season 4, TMA AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:40:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26532262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inyw21/pseuds/Inyw21
Summary: The Magnus Archives, but make it Merlin
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sasha James/Tim Stoker
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the Rusty Quill Official Discord for coming up with this idea, specifically Tal! This is pretty much an AU where the TMA characters are superimposed in Merlin’s (BBC) setting. The characters will exhibit bits from both things. (Mostly because I think it’ll be easier than trying to separate them out) Also, no one is evil/bad except Elias because well, ya know. And major plot points from both will also probably make their way in. There is the typical Merlin magic with slight hints of entities tossed in.  
> Here’s a list of character superimposings.  
> Martin: Merlin  
> Jon: Arthur  
> Elias: Uther  
> Sasha: Gwen  
> Tim: Lancelot  
> Melanie: Morgana  
> Rosie: Gaius  
> And yes I listened to High Noon Over Camelot a little while writing.  
> Many thanks to Tal for being my beta reader for this as well! Because writing at 11 pm is not conducive to good spelling and grammar.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Martin meets a mysterious (and cranky) man.

Martin trudged slowly up to the city walls on a day where autumn was just starting to show its hand. The sun was warm, but not unbearably so. As he walked, Martin checked and rechecked the paper his mother had given him. He was very nervous to meet this “Rosie” that he would be working for. He hoped she would be kind and not too harsh. Martin got nervous around harsh people. 

At the gate, the guards barely paid Martin any attention. They looked extremely bored and only one nodded at the little wave Merlin gave them. Their bright green uniforms matched the banners surrounding the walls, and Martin could see the crest of an owl on them. _That must be the crest of the royal family _he thought. It was a little unsettling to be honest. The owl stared at him like it wanted to know all of his secrets. This didn’t particularly sit well with Martin as he had a rather large one. And he didn’t do well under scrutiny. _Best stay away from the palace then _he thought absently.____

____Inside the city walls, the place was alive with people milling about. It looked like a market day from the numerous stalls lining the street and the near-constant shouting from all sides. Everything from fruits to candles was being offered. Martin was taken aback by the sudden noise surrounding him. It was a bit disorientating. He tried to get his bearings and looked around for someone quiet to ask where Rosie lived._ _ _ _

____Before Martin could complete his search, a loud crash startled him from behind. He whirled around quickly to see a man that looked slightly older than him on the ground next to an overturned cart of peaches. The man in question looked a little dazed, but nothing appeared to be hurt, other than his pride. Martin thought the man looked nice enough. And then Mystery Man opened his mouth._ _ _ _

____“Well don’t just stand there being useless, help me up!” he groused._ _ _ _

____Martin started and realized he had been staring a bit. Mystery Man had simple clothes that had bits of peach on them now. A simple canvas shirt and brown pants tucked into tall boots made up the outfit._ _ _ _

____“Oh! Oh I-,” Martin started. The man seemed perfectly capable of getting up on his own. Martin didn’t understand why he didn’t just pick himself up._ _ _ _

____“Well?” the man demanded again._ _ _ _

____“Oh, sure,” Martin said as he reached a hand out._ _ _ _

____The man grasped it solidly and used Martin as leverage to get himself off the ground. Martin pulled his hand back and it came away sticky. _Ugh, it had to be peaches _he thought. _Of course it did _______ _ _

________“Thank you,” Mystery Man spoke. And then he immediately turned around and walked off briskly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wait! Do you-” Martin started. And then stopped. The man was too far away and everyone else around him was too loud. He was going to ask after Rosie._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey! You! Come give me a hand with this!” yelled the cart owner._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Martin walked over and helped the owner tip up the cart and he started picking up the spilled fruit that didn’t look too bruised. After helping get things back in order, he decided to ask if the peach seller knew Rosie. Luckily they did, and pointed Martin in the right direction. To Martin’s great displeasure, they gave an address that was on the castle wall. _So much for avoiding the palace. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Martin wound his way closer to the castle and closer to that feeling that he was being watched. He made his way to the right door, tucked away under an arch. It was quieter in this part of the city, the main market being separate from the courtyard where it appeared that some of the staff of the palace worked and lived._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Martin found the right door, knocked, and waited._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Come in,” a kindly voice called out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Martin walked into a large room filled with numerous shelves. These had books, bottles, and various instruments of some sort all over them. The writing on the bottles was neat, but cramped. It appeared that everything was medicinal in nature. He kept scanning the room and his eyes finally landed on an older lady on a ladder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hi-” Martin began to say._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________All of a sudden, the lady, who Martin guessed to be Rosie, lost her footing and began to fall off the ladder. Without thinking, Martin reached for his magic. There was a brief golden flash behind his eyes and possibly-Rosie froze in midair. Looking around further, Martin saw a bed and once again reached for his magic to slide it underneath the frozen figure. He then released his hold, and Rosie fell to the bed with a soft thump. She sat up suddenly and glanced around, before focusing on him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“How did you do that?” she asked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Uh, well you see, it’s just that you were falling and I had to do _something _. I couldn’t just let you fall and so I made sure you were safe!” Martin said all in a rush.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Yes, and thank you by the way, but _how _did you do that?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Well um, hmm.” Martin wasn’t sure if he should tell the truth or not. He knew it was dangerous to do so and wasn’t sure if he could trust Roise just yet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Wait, what’s today? Monday?” Rosie asked_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Er, it’s Wednesday ma’am,” Martin explained softly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh! You must be Hannah’s boy then! I was expecting you. And I got her letter, things make much more sense now. She mentioned that you were special.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I- She did?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh yes, kept going on about how special you were and all. Wouldn’t mention why specifically, but now I see why. She asked me to look after you and protect you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh, well, umm, I guess I don’t have to explain myself to you then,” Martin stammered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Not in the least, but I will warn you to keep that bit to yourself. Magic is illegal in Camelot on pain of death. I’d hate to see you die on your first day here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I have no idea when updates will be so just watch this space!


	2. Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys meet again. Will they ever get it together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'm going to try out a weekly schedule, chapters releasing on Fridays. This may or may not work depending on my schedule, but I shall try!   
> Thanks again to Tal for being my beta reader!

Martin woke up and took a minute to reorient himself. He had to remember where he was and that he didn’t have to travel anymore. The events of the day before came back all in a rush. He was very glad that he didn't smell like peaches anymore; he'd had enough of them growing up. The air in the back room was warm, but not overbearing, and the bed he had was comfortable enough. Better than what he had at home, but certainly not the height of luxury. Martin had slept quite soundly after traveling for weeks. He stretched, joints popping along the way. After a yawn, he slipped from under the blanket to get ready for his day. He was supposed to help Rosie today and he wanted to be ready at a reasonable hour. 

As Martin was getting dressed, he could smell something sweet wafting from the main room. He opened the door to the sight of Rosie bent over the fire pulling what looked like biscuits from the coals. While her back was turned, he doing a moment to take in the main room again properly. Yesterday had been quite exhausting and he hadn't gotten a good look around. On a second glance, there were even more books stuffed on shelves and stacked in corners. All of the instruments were stacked together in an intricate way. All of the bottles were also very well organized and well labeled. There was not a hint of dust in the room, though some things looked like they hadn't been moved in quite some time. 

Martin entered the room just as Rosie turned to set the biscuits on the table. The sweet smell was coming from them. They looked delicious and Martin's stomach decided to announce his presence for him. 

"Ah, good you're up," Rosie exclaimed as she turned. "We have a lot of things to do today and you should spend some time getting to know the city. I'll need you to run lots of errands so it's best you start now."

"I-uh… yeah, of course," stammered Martin. He didn't think he was going to be thrown right into helping. He thought he'd help on one or two runs. He didn't even know what Rosie did really. _Might want to ask that! _"What exactly am I helping you with?"__

__"Running potions and ointments to various people around the city," Rosie answered._ _

__"Are you-"_ _

__"Did your mother not tell you what it is I do?"_ _

__The puzzled look on Martin’s face must have answered for him because Rosie pushed on._ _

__"I'm the court physician so I attend the royal family. I also help the townsfolk with whatever ailments they come to me with."_ _

__"Hang on, did you say _royal _family?" Martin suddenly became much more anxious.___ _

____"I did. You should avoid them. I can handle those rounds. I need you in the town."_ _ _ _

____Martin visibly relaxed and Rosie shot him a kind smile. They moved to the table to eat breakfast in companionable silence. Martin began to think about his new life in Camelot. He was hoping that he could make something of himself without accidentally revealing his secret to anyone. He didn't wish to die, though no one really did, he supposed. It was incredibly stressful trying not to use his magic. It was like second nature to him. He was glad though that he had someone who knew and he could trust with his secret. It helped that if something happened, he'd have Rosie to talk to._ _ _ _

____After breakfast, Rosie took Martin out into the town to run errands and make deliveries to people. Along the way, Martin worked hard to remember where everything was. The castle made for a good reference point. _At least it's good for something _he mussed. They spent the morning going around and around mid afternoon Rosie left Martin to explore on his own.___ _ _ _

______Martin decided to just wander and see what he could discover. The streets were quite a bit less crowded than the previous day. Rosie had told him that market days are always that hectic. It was nice to be able to wander around without fear of constantly bumping into people. _Or knocking carts over. _____ _ _ _ _

________Just then, Martin was shoved over by something large and heavy. He fell on the ground and whatever pushed him landed on top of him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oof! Ow-mph." Martin didn't think those sounds were the most dignified, but considering the circumstances, he gave himself a pass. He was sprawled on the ground with what he now realized was another person on top of him. He craned his neck and noticed that the person in question was the same man from the day before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Mystery Man rolled off him in a smooth motion. He stood up, brushed himself off, and turned to walk away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hey!" Martin called from the ground as he sat up. "Did you even pay attention to where you were going?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Course I did, I was running toward the blacksmith’s," Mystery Man said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I, that's not- are you even going to apologize for running into me?" spluttered Martin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why should I?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why should you?! Because it's rude to run around knocking people over! That's why!" Martin was very indignant as he stood up and got into the man's face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You can't talk to me like that-" the man started._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh no, none of that, _you _ran into _me _."_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The man smirked and looked Martin over. "Even if this were my fault, you still can't talk to me like that"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"What makes you so special?" At this point, Martin was becoming slightly self conscious and a little upset. They weren't exactly being quiet and people were beginning to stare._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Well other than obviously being more competent at walking than you, I happen to hold a high station in the court of the king," answered the man._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"You don't look like nobility."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"I am, I assure you. Now, if you'll excuse me," Mystery man said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________With that he walked away from Martin. Everyone around him suddenly found something else to do or look at. As the man walked away, Martin looked over his shoulder and noticed a bit of rope on the ground. He couldn't resist. A pointed look and flash of gold later, the man was on his face on the ground with a rope wrapped around his ankle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________"Who's competent at walking now?" teased Martin._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________The man just glared, got up, and walked away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I appreciate comments and kudos! Feel free to come hang out with me on Twitter @inyw21 or on the RQO Discord!


	3. Third Time's a Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Martin learns some things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again! Slightly shorter chapter than normal because much of my creative energy went to painting this week.  
> Many thanks to my beta readers Tal and Zombierobin!

_Of course I had to run into that pompous ass again. _Martin was very frustrated with how the day had ended. Even though he had gotten in a bit of payback, he was still annoyed that someone would act so rudely. He continued to ponder these thoughts as he made his way back to Rosie’s. Looking around more carefully, he noticed that he was in more of the artisans district. He must have looked deep in thought- and possibly lost because someone stopped him.__

__“Are you lost?” a lady asked. She was covered in soot and her dress was covered in an apron._ _

__“Oh! I… uhhh, no, I-I-I’m on my way back to Rosie’s, she’s the court physician,” Martin stammered._ _

__“Oh I know Rosie! She helped me care for my father a while back. She’s very kind,” replied the mystery woman. Martin, it seemed, had a habit of running into mystery people. He decided to actually get this one’s name._ _

__“She is indeed. I’m new to the city, what’s your name?”_ _

__“Oh, I’m Sasha. I’m the blacksmith’s daughter and I work in the castle for the Lady Melanie.” Sasha seemed delighted to meet someone new; Martin could tell that he’d like her a lot._ _

__“So what's it like in there?”_ _

__“In where? The castle?” Sasha gave Martin a puzzled look._ _

__“Yeah,” Martin shrugged._ _

__“Um, well, I guess it's nice? It _is _a castle and all-”___ _

____“How are the people _in _the castle?” interrupted Martin. Normally he wouldn’t be so rude, but he couldn’t let a chance to talk to someone who interacted with the royal family pass him by.___ _ _ _

______“Oh! Well I guess everyone is nice enough. I don’t really see the king much, but that’s probably for the best. I hear he can be very intense. Lady Melanie is quite nice, but she does have her fits of anger. And Prince Jon, well he’s certainly nice enough to look at, bit rude at times, but not cruel.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Martin thought on all this for a second and then asked, “Do they keep to themselves up in that shiny castle?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Oh I hear that Prince Jon likes to disguise himself and run around the city without guards. It drives his father mad,” replied Sasha. She had a mischievous look on her face like rankling the king was her favorite pastime._ _ _ _ _ _

_______Could it be? No, no way would the prince pay attention to me. ____ _ _ _ _ _

________“Hey, you ok? Also, what’s your name? You never did tell me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ah! Yeah, right-I-I’m alright!” Martin started. He hoped he didn’t sound too awkward. “My name’s Martin.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Well Martin, it was very nice meeting you, but I’ve got to get back to work, have a good evening!” Sasha waved as she made her way back into her house._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was then that Martin realized just how late it was getting. He rushed back to Rosie’s without much thought of his surroundings. When he arrived back, Rosie was waiting._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh good, you’re back, you need to get cleaned up. We need to be in the banquet hall in an hour,” Rosie said all in a rush._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Okaaaay, why?” Martin wasn’t sure about going to a banquet of any kind. He was still tired from all of his traveling and running around the city all day._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“We have been invited to attend dinner with the royal court this evening, we can’t say no.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Royal court? Rosie are you crazy? I-I-I can’t go into the palace! What if I mess up and use magic! What if I get discovered?” Martin was freaking out properly now. He had come this far only to risk getting caught._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Relax Martin, you’ll be fine. You just have to smile and nod. No one will notice you anyway. Everyone will be focusing on the royal family. Trust me. I’ve been to loads of these.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“You’re sure? I don’t want to-”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yes I’m sure. Now got get cleaned up.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Martin sighed heavily. He was used to being ignored anyway he supposed. It wouldn’t be too much of a hardship._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________An hour later, Martin found himself standing at the back of the Great Hall in the palace. It was absolutely stunning. A high ceiling supported a massive crystal chandelier with banners running along the sides of the hall. Of course they were the royal crest. The golden all-seeing owl on a field of dark green. An odd symbol to have as a crest. The royal family sat at the head of the hall on a dais and numerous tables sat below them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Martin and Rosie had eaten at one of the lower tables. He had eaten quickly and gone to the shadows. The haze of the smoke from the braziers helped hide him. The royal family was constantly surrounded and pretty much hidden from sight. This didn’t bother Martin too much because he didn’t want to deal with them anyway. He had caught glimpses of Lady Melanie and the king. It seemed that the prince was a bit more of a celebrity than the rest of his household. He was constantly surrounded by ladies of the court and boisterous nobles._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The night wore on and Martin was itching to get back home. He was exhausted. Rosie was busy talking to everyone. It seemed she had helped everyone at some point or another. Martin supposed that that would happen when one was the court physician.  
Suddenly Martin felt a prickling on the back of his neck. He looked up to see Mystery man staring at him from across the room. From the head table. Sitting where there had been a plethora of admirers. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________No, no way, _how _had this happened? ______ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Mystery man was none other than Crown Prince Jon of Camelot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Come hang with me on Twitter! As always, comments and kudos are appreciated!


	4. The Start of Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Attack on the castle! CW for minor worm stuff. I don’t describe them in detail as they squick me out too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, inyw21 here! So sorry for the gap, but I did say my posting schedule was based on my irl work load. Anyway, here’s the next chapter! Beta read by Tal and zombierobin as always! Enjoy! <3  
> Editing note: I for some reason can't get the italics to behave properly so some things might look a little strange.

Martin wanted to run, but he knew he couldn’t because he would just draw attention to himself. Rosie was busy with some lady who looked like she was pregnant. He hadn’t mentioned his run-ins with the prince because he figured that they weren’t important. Regretting his decision, Martin cast a quick look around the room. Everyone was still thoroughly enjoying themselves, the wine having gone to everyone’s heads. He glanced back at the high table; Prince Jon was still looking at him, but this time with a tilted head. Martin hurriedly looked away again.

Martin moved towards the back of the room, trying to walk in what he thought was the most natural way possible, and attempted to take cover behind some knights who were discussing the merits of taking an arm wrestling tournament outside. As he walked, Martin laughed to himself. No wonder the “mystery” man had been so arrogant. He was born into it. The prince probably didn’t know how to act any other way. Martin supposed he couldn’t completely blame just the prince. He could have been taught better, but is clearly wasn’t easy. 

It was at that moment that the world exploded into worms. At least that’s what it looked like to Martin. Immediately, he was knocked over by their weight. The knights that had been nearby were also knocked down. The origin of the worms seemed to be coming from one of the ladies. But that didn’t make any sense. He wanted to shout, but kept his mouth shut for fear of worms crawling in.

Martin started to panic, he quickly thought of a small fire spell to break himself free. By this point, the entire hall was in chaos and no one noticed a little bit of fire that quickly went out. He leapt up and grabbed a torch from the wall behind him.  
The hall was in utter chaos. The ladies of the court were screaming and frantically trying to run away. Some of the knights and many of the lords were also trying to run away. A few bravely tried to hack at the worms, but it was proving futile. Martin shoved his torch into the nearest pile. They burned rather quickly, but the fire didn’t get far. 

“Grab the torches!” yelled Martin to anyone who could hear him over the commotion. He grabbed another one himself and threw it on a pile. Some of the people around him seemed to catch onto the idea and started to fight back. 

Moving toward the high table, Martin threw all the torches that he could reach. He also tossed in a little of his fire when he thought no one was looking. There was so much going on that it could probably be chalked up to anything other than magic. 

“Going to call me incompetent now?” Martin jumped. He hadn’t realized how close to the table he’d gotten. The prince must have moved as well. Jon had several torches in hand and was strategically tossing them at the thickest parts of the worm piles. _At least he has some smarts _thought Martin.__

__“No, you’re actually making progress,” replied Martin drily. He didn’t have time for this._ _

__“Well I believe I have you to thank for that. Much as that pains me.”_ _

__“I-Wh-uh-what?”_ _

__“I saw you start with the torches and it seemed to work just fine.”_ _

___Oh no. ____ _

____“You did?” Martin was working on not panicking about the Crown Prince possibly seeing his magic. Luckily he didn’t have to hide much. The worms had their uses it seemed._ _ _ _

____“I had a clear line of sight when everything started happening. I saw you grab a torch.”  
That sounded like it was the only thing Jon saw, but Martin was now very conscious of what he was doing. He didn’t dare try using magic this close to the prince. Thankfully most of the worms seemed to be dying off. They worked together and made their way closer to the epicenter of the worms. With one final torch, the worst seemed to be over. There were a few worms still wiggling around, but people were busy stepping on them. _ _ _ _

____“What the hell was that?” panted Jon._ _ _ _

____“I have no idea, but that looks like it was Lady Jane’s dress,” Martin answered._ _ _ _

____“How do you know?”_ _ _ _

____“Oh-I uh, have an eye for those types of things.”_ _ _ _

____At this, the king came down from the high table where he was being guarded while the attack was in progress. This was the first time Martin had gotten a good look at the king. It became readily apparent that Jon took after his mother. The only real similarity between father and son were their piercing eyes. They both had eyes that could stare into your soul. And both had the unique quality of not being able to have their color known._ _ _ _

____“Jon, what happened?” the king asked._ _ _ _

____“I’m not entirely sure father, the worms just appeared,” Jon answered._ _ _ _

____“Well, seems like they have stopped. Good work on taking charge,” King Elias said curtly. He seemed very disinterested for someone who just got attacked in his own home._ _ _ _

____“Oh it wasn’t me this time father, it was this man here,” Jon said as he grabbed Martin’s wrist and swung him around so the king could see him._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Your Majesty!” Martin quickly stuttered out. He bowed and tried to make it seem like he wasn’t shaking like a leaf._ _ _ _

____“Hmm, well, job well done then I suppose. Saving our lives should come with a reward,” mused the king._ _ _ _

____Martin didn’t like the way that sounded_ _ _ _

____To the remaining people in the room the king said “This man has helped save the royal family and that feat cannot go without recognition. He shall be my son’s manservant!”_ _ _ _

____The room broke out in uneasy applause. Martin was horrified, and by the look on Jon’s face he wasn’t too happy about this development either. Rosie managed to catch Martin’s eye and shot him a sympathetic look._ _ _ _

____“Father! I don’t need him! I have other servants that I much prefer to some random person!” exclaimed Jon. _Great, thanks for thinking I’m a nobody _thought Martin.___ _ _ _

______“Nonsense, he saved your life and thus should be thanked,” insisted the king._ _ _ _ _ _

_______I’m doomed. ____ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and bearing with me while school sucks up all my time! As usual, come find me on Twitter @inyw21 and on the RQO Discord! Comments and Kudos fule me!


	5. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Martin freaks out about his new job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another break because theatre, but here’s the next chapter! Thanks so much to Tal and zombierobin for being my beta readers!  
> A quick note on formatting. AO3 hates me and italics don’t play nice with me so *this* will be the format for inner thoughts and the like.

Martin woke up with a start. His entire body was sore and everything smelled like smoke. *So last night did happen,* he thought. *Great.* Everything was going to change.

The smell of breakfast broke Martin from his musings. He supposed he should get up and face the music, as it were. There was a lot to do today, including starting his new job as the prince’s manservant. The mere idea of having to spend time in the palace sent shivers down Martin’s spine. What if he slipped up and used magic? It was so natural back home. Having to hide his gifts was not normal. He was always told by his father that his gifts were special when he was young. He didn’t remember much of his father, but he remembered that. His mother was supportive, but really didn’t understand. 

As he walked into the main room, Martin thought that the sunny weather was entirely too much for his dour mood. Rosie was also much too chipper for his liking. 

“How can you be so calm about this?” demanded Martin. 

“Well, we can’t change the situation, may as well make the best of it,” replied Rosie. She was busy by the fire with some sort of porridge in a pot. It smelled sweet and Martin wondered if she had made something to help lift his mood. 

Martin spluttered in disbelief. “Wh-how-I mean-What do you mean make the best of it? I am the *last* person who should work for the royal family! I’m going to mess up! Rosie I don’t want to get exec-”

“Calm down Martin, everything will end up fine.”

“Fine?!” Martin thought he had come to grips of having to work with the prince. Apparently that had worn off with sleep and now he was a nervous wreck again.

“Have some tea, I find that it helps me calm down. And even if it doesn’t, tea never hurt anyone.” Rosie busied herself with finishing up breakfast and placed a mug of tea in front of Martin where he sat, slumped in his chair.

“Rosie, *how* am I going to do this?” Martin pleaded. “I’ve never had to hide so much of myself before.”

“Well, you’ve done reasonably well around me. I’d say practice while here. Make sure you don’t use any, ever. It will get easier with time.”

“I suppose.”

Martin didn’t want it to get easier with time though. He hated that he had to hide who he was. Even though he was used to being ignored, he still didn’t want to lie on a daily basis about his identity. 

After breakfast and tea, Rosie shooed Martin out for his first day of work. With a heavy sigh, he left for the castle. On his way to the prince’s room, he passed servants in the halls on various errands. The castle halls were on the cooler side, but not uncomfortable. Everything was stone with the exception of the decorations, many of which were tapestries of different rulers doing various heroic things. Every once and awhile, there would be that royal sigil of the owl with the too-large eyes. Martin didn’t fancy those ones very much. 

Everything was tidy, which was expected for the royal household. As Martin walked, he felt like everyone watching him knew his secret and they were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell the king. Of course, this was ridiculous, but it felt like everyone was spying, in a way. He eventually made it to the prince’s room after asking some of the servants for directions. 

Martin knocked on the ornate door to the room. It all seemed unnecessarily fancy to him. The mahogany wood of the door was carved with another bloody owl- this time with green gems for eyes that seemed to follow Martin as he moved. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to all the eyes around him.

There was no answer from the first knock, so Martin knocked again. Still no answer. 

“Prince Jon?” Martin called through the door. *Maybe he’s still asleep?* he mused to himself. It was still relatively early in the day- Rosie had wanted to make sure that Martin could not be late. He decided to be proactive and go into the room if it was unlocked. It was. 

As Martin entered the room, the first thing that became apparent was that Jon’s room was in utter disarray, with papers strewn everywhere. The second thing that Martin noticed was just how big the room was. It had an open floor plan with a divider for changing by a wardrobe on the back wall. The bed took up a large portion of another wall. It was draped and looked rather comfy. The opposite side of the room had a desk. Or something that resembled a desk. It looked like the epicenter of the paper chaos. There was a table in the middle of the room also covered in paper, save one corner that had dirty dishes all over it. Jon, it seemed, was not the neatest person in the world.

It was then that Martin noticed the bed was not flat due to the princely form snoring away on it. *Great, I have to be the first one he sees.* Martin also noticed that there were badly applied bandages all over the prince. There had been so much chaos the night before that he had not noticed that the prince was injured. There were bandages across his face and arms, though Martin could not see if they extended any further. 

Martin sighed heavily. He supposed he’d have to get some clean bandages and reapply them. He wasn’t sure if that fell to him necessarily, but he knew how to do it and wasn’t that part of being a manservant? Taking care of one’s charge? There wasn’t really a job description he could look for or anyone to ask. Unless the prince had other manservants, Martin was on his own. It would be fine. He could manage. He always had. 

*I suppose I should wake him up.*

With that, Martin marched across the room and threw open the curtains. The sun came streaming in across the bed and onto the sleeping prince. Martin couldn’t tell if the light improved the prince’s appearance or not. Jon paid no mind to the sun and could be heard snoring gently. Martin huffed and walked over to the bed to shake Jon awake. As Martin reached for Jon’s shoulder, the prince shot up and grabbed it. Jon’s eyes, blown wide, bore into Martin’s.

“Ah!” Martin exclaimed.

“What are you doing in my room?” Jon half growled. 

“I-uh-I’m here to start my first day of work?”

“Oh, right, well,” Jon muttered. It was at that moment he realized he was still holding onto Martin’s wrist. It was hastily dropped as Jon shook the sleep out of his head. “You’d best start by fetching breakfast then.”

“Right, of course. Should I grab some bandages as well?”

Jon looks puzzled. “Why?”

“Well, yours are poorly wrapped. I can fix that for you.”

“*I* did them. Are you saying my work is sloppy?”

“No!” Martin starts. “Well, that is, they might get infected wrapped like that. Especially if you plan on running around the market today.”

“I don’t think that fits in my schedule today. I’m training with the knights.”

It took a second for Martin to realize that Jon was being sarcastic. He didn’t much appreciate the tone the prince took. “Must you be such a prat?” he muttered.

“Excuse me?” Jon looked like Martin had just kicked his puppy. 

*Guess he heard me. Oops.*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated! Come hang with me on Twitter @inyw21! I also hang out on the RQO Discord!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I do have more plans for more chapters but it will NOT be on a regular schedule of any kind. (Thank you school.)  
> You can hang with me on Twitter @inyw21, or find me on the RQO Discord!


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